Club news 16 April 2018

Senior football: Sunday morning was anything but bright and fair and the lark definitely did not sing in the sky as our seniors travelled to Annacurra to play the locals in the Arklow Bay Hotel Div.1A league game.Instead, a pessimism-generating grey sky was bestowing at intervals from its aqueous bounty most unwelcome showers.Underfoot conditions were certainly not conducive to fast open football and one would have anticipated a dour hour of football in which victory would have been described as ground out.However this proved to be far from the case and spectators were treated to a relatively high-scoring (23 scores in all) and sporting game with little difference on the scoreboard between the teams throughout the hour and to a very exciting denouement.UnfortunatelyEireOg lost 1-10 to 0-12

TheEireOg lads initially showed little signs of travel weariness and were 1ston the scoreboard.By the 16thminute they were 0-5 to 0-2 ahead.Frustratingly at that point their shooting boots deserted them and they squandered a no. of scoreable chances and the half ended with the teams level at 0-5 apiece.

The 2ndhalf began inauspiciously forEireOg and they were soon 4 points in arrears.Annacurra were quickly out of the traps and were a point ahead ere the sound of the whistle had faded.This they followed a few minutes later with a well-worked goal.The initiative then swung the Clocha Liatha way and they added 3 points which left them only a point behind entering the last quarter.But as is the wont of the pendulum it again swung in the other direction and Annacurra went into a 3 point lead.8 minutes left and the ball finds itself in theEireOg court and they nail-bitingly begin to reduce the hosts lead and achieve equality on entering injury time which unfortunately was of sufficient duration for Annacurra to score the winning point.

PEIL NA MBANThe weather in Ireland because of its variety and changeability (a luxury not enjoyed by those in continental climes) is always a default topic for its inhabitants.However this cannot be said of the weather over the last few weeks which has been unremittingly dull, damp and dreary.And so it was for our u-14 girls who, on Wednesday evening, undertook the long journey to the other end of the county to play Carnew on their own sod.In fact the conditions were so miserable that theEireOg camp was a little surprised at the match going ahead.It was a tribute to the squads dedication that 21 players travelled.The 3-6 to 2-1 win helped to take some of the tedium from the homeward journey.

The going, as they say in the horse industry, was heavy but at the same time was surprisingly good after all the rain. At the half way stageEireOg led 2-6 to 0-1.Comparison with the final score shows that the 2ndhalf was much more closely fought than the 1st.

Abbie Smullen, who besides being the top scorer with a tally of 1-5, came away with the proud boast of having a 100% return on shots taken.Aisling Roche scored 1-1 and Eva Roche chipped in with a goal.

Training for u-12, u-14 and u-16 takes place on Thursdays at 6.30 p.m. and that for seniors at 7.30 p.m.This week the u-12s are at home to Arklow on Tuesday while the u-16s play host to Rathnew on Thursday.

COMHGAIRDEACHAS to the Northern Gaels u-14 hurlers who, by winning the inter-club blitz in Bray Emmets grounds on Saturday, earned the privilege of participating in the hurling Feile in Ros Comain on June 8th.

With no hurling-feeder secondary school in this area it is difficult to embed the sport in N.E. Wicklow so single-club juvenile hurling teams have as yet not become a reality and the Northern Gaels have been formed to provide a competitive outlet for young hurling enthusiasts for Kilcoole, ire g and Newcastle.